1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved stringed instrument for producing precise rhythmic strumming. More specifically, the invention relates to a stringed instrument with recessed components on the front surface of the instrument body used in combination with a strumming apparatus capable of simultaneous contact with a plurality of strings.
2. Description of the Related Art
Guitars are well-known stringed instruments that have many different variations and are found in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some have one neck connected to the soundboard and some have two. Some guitars come with four strings, others come with six, and some have twelve. There are slide guitars, bass guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and steel guitars, as well as others. Regardless of the type, all guitars have one thing in common: their strings are pulled and released to create vibration and therefore sound. The pulling and releasing of individual string is commonly referred to in the art as plucking, while rapid, sequential plucking is commonly referred to as strumming.
To play a guitar, the strings are usually plucked or strummed in the area of the soundboard (i.e., the instrument body) with one hand while the other hand changes musical notes at the neck. In this regard, the plucking or strumming hand usually contacts the strings somewhere between a bridge (i.e., where the strings are attached to the soundboard) and the soundboard/neck intersection. The strumming hand can produce single notes by plucking individual strings, or to produce chords, each string is plucked rapidly and sequentially (i.e., strummed) in a path that travels from the first string to the last string in an upward playing stroke and vice versa in a downward one.
The actual pulling and releasing of strings during plucking or strumming is achieved with fingers or some type of plectrum. Plectrums come in many different shapes and sizes, with the most recognized form of a plectrum being the common guitar pick—a thinly shaped object made for plucking individual strings that is typically held between a player's thumb and forefinger.
Many variations of the common guitar pick are known and disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,301 ('301 patent) discloses a traditional guitar pick that has been modified with serrated edges for creating a percussive effect on individual strings. Another variation is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,128 (the '128 patent), where a plurality of traditional guitar picks are in spaced relation to form a guitar pick array. As compared to a single pick, it is claimed that the guitar pick array of the '128 patent creates a unique tone when it hits individual strings.
Common to both the '301 patent and the '128 patent, these modified picks can only pluck a single string at a time and the tempo of the composition is limited to the speed at which the strumming hand can physically pluck the strings. For example, to play chords the strumming hand must rapidly and sequentially pluck individual strings over a definable distance—from the first string to the last string on upward playing strokes and vice versa on downward playing strokes. As a result, the tempo of chords is limited to the speed at which the strumming hand can physically travel this distance, reverse directions, and travel the distance again. Similarly, the tempo of individual notes is also limited to strumming hand's physical ability to move from string to string. In line with the physical limitation, a strumming hand also tires after long periods of increased tempo and the ability to play chords or notes is further limited due to strumming-hand fatigue.
Limitations on the tempo affect the overall rhythm of the musical composition. Many times, the rhythm falls behind that which is called for because the guitar player cannot physically achieve the notes or chords required. Then, in an effort to keep up with the required tempo, the guitar player compensates by either hurrying the composition (i.e., trying to squeeze in more notes than called for in a particular measure) or skipping notes altogether.
To combat the problem of tempo limitation, larger strumming apparatuses have been devised. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,891,095 ('095 patent) discloses a multi-pick apparatus that has a plurality of pick members for playing multiple notes at a time. While the '095 patent seems to decrease the distance required to produce a chord, it does not solve the problem of tempo limitation from fatigue. With the '095 patent, the user must maintain the strumming apparatus at a constant distance from the strings for the pick members to engage the strings as designed, despite the strumming hand's natural tendency to move inward toward the strings and the front surface of the instrument body during strumming. As a result, the '095 patent requires added energy to prevent the strumming apparatus from moving inward. Furthermore, the numerous pick members in the '095 patent make precision plucking of individual notes cumbersome, and extra effort is required to accurately pluck individual notes without hitting other strings.
The present invention is directed towards overcoming the above-described problems associated with precise high speed strumming and plucking. Unlike the prior art, the present invention combats the problem of strumming-hand fatigue through a modified instrument body in combination with a modified, accurate strumming apparatus.